60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of Green and Resilient Retrofit Program; OMB Control No.: 2528-NEW

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Published

November 20, 2023

Issuing agencies

Housing and Urban Development Department

Abstract

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 222 (Monday, November 20, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 222 (Monday, November 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80740-80742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25509]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7075-N-15]

60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of
Green and Resilient Retrofit Program; OMB Control No.: 2528-NEW

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information.
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: January 19, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection can be submitted within 60 days of publication of this
notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting, ``Currently under 60-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Interested
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal by
name and/or OMB Control Number and can be sent to: Anna Guido, Reports
Management

[[Page 80741]]

Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th
Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410-5000 or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a7a4b5a4f585d455841784f4e5f495e4345446b495e654c4c43494f6a425f4e044d455c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2d7d4c5d485f5a425f467f4849584e594442436c4e59624b4b444e486d455849034a425b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, Reports Management
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street
SW, Washington, DC 20410; email; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7f3e11111e512f51380a161b103f170a1b51181009"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="60210e0e014e304e271509040f200815044e070f16">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>; telephone (202)
402-5535 (this is not a toll-free number). HUD welcomes and is prepared
to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as
well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities. To learn
more about how to make an accessible telephone call, please visit
<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs">https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs</a>. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained
from Ms. Guido.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in
Section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of Green and Resilient
Retrofit Program.
OMB Approval Number: 2528-NEW.
Type of Request: New Collection.
Form Number: N/A.
Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The
Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), at the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is proposing the
collection of information to support an evaluation of the Green and
Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). GRRP is a newly funded program
through Section 30002 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R.
5376) titled ``Improving Energy Efficiency or Water Efficiency or
Climate Resilience of Affordable Housing.'' HUD is offering GRRP
funding in the form of grants or loans through three award cohorts
designed to meet the needs of properties in different situations,
implemented through three parallel Notices of Funding Opportunities
(NOFOs). These award cohorts are the Elements Award cohort, the Leading
Edge Award cohort, and the Comprehensive Award cohort. Under all three
award cohorts, owners of eligible HUD-assisted multifamily properties
will receive funding in the form of grants or loans to undertake
retrofits, enhancements, and upgrades to improve energy and water
efficiency, indoor air quality, and climate hazard resilience; to
reduce emissions; to use renewable energy; and/or to use low Embodied
Carbon materials.
The ``Elements'' NOFO provides modest funding to owners to add
proven and meaningful climate resilience, energy efficiency,
electrification, and renewable energy measures to the construction
scopes of in-progress recapitalization transactions. The ``Leading
Edge'' NOFO provides funding for retrofit activities to achieve
ambitious outcomes, including net zero, renewable energy generation,
use of building materials with lower Embodied Carbon, and climate
resilience investments. The ``Comprehensive'' NOFO will provide funding
to initiate recapitalization investments designed from inception around
both proven and innovative measures, including ambitious green building
standards or measures, renewable energy generation, use of building
materials with lower Embodied Carbon, and climate resilience
investments.
The Evaluation of Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP
Evaluation) will be implemented in phases. Under Phase 1, HUD plans to
collect survey and interview data related to the application process,
the scoping and design phase of GRRP, and the post-construction period.
(1) GRRP Application Survey: The application survey and interview
will provide data necessary to assess the success of the application
process, which is influenced by property owners' perceptions of the
design of the application and the program.
(2) GRRP Scoping and Design Survey: The survey and interview
related to the scoping and design phase of GRRP will provide data
necessary to evaluate the process of implementing the program,
including what went well and what barriers were encountered. It will
cover issues related to activities such as developing the transaction
plan and closing package, and designing the retrofit.
(3) GRRP Post-Construction Survey: The post-construction survey and
interview will provide data necessary to evaluate how well the program
worked in terms of the perceived costs and benefits to property owners,
including questions related to construction, such as whether property
owners encountered barriers with construction.
This Federal Register Notice provides an opportunity to comment on
the information collection for the Evaluation of the Green and
Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP Evaluation).
Respondents: Owners of HUD-assisted multifamily properties eligible
for GRRP. Awardees and non-awardee applicants will be sampled using a
stratified design with stratification on cohort, region, and the size
of the owner (e.g., small owners of properties vs. large corporate
property owners). Eligible non-applicants will be chosen using a
stratified design with stratification on region and size of the owner
from Office of Recapitalization's database of eligible properties minus
applicants. Interviews will be conducted with a subset of property
owners; this sample will be chosen based on a combination of stratified
sampling (using the same approach as sampling the awardees for the
survey; approximately 38% of interview sample) and purposive sampling
(approximately 62% of interview sample) stemming from inclusion in case
studies and/or survey responses benefitting from in-depth follow-up. We
will provide accommodations to the greatest extent possible. Property
owners with hearing impairments can be accommodated through a web-based
version of the data collection, and visually impaired property owners
can be accommodated through a telephone-based version of the data
collection. We will use translation services as needed, but we do not
expect language barriers to be a significant concern because property
owners are already required to submit their information to HUD in
English.
Estimated Number of Respondents: This information collection will
affect a maximum of 900 respondents, including approximately 450
grantees, 225 applicant owners who did not receive grants or loans
(Application Survey only), and 225 eligible non-applicants (Application
Survey only). Interviews will be collected from approximately 40
grantees across all three cohorts.
Estimated Time per Responses: The expected time per response varies
by instrument. Reading the Outreach Materials is estimated to take a
maximum of 0.1 hours. For the Application Survey, expected time per
response is a maximum of 0.5 hours. Expected time per response for the
Scoping and Design and Post-Construction surveys is a maximum of 0.75
hours each. Expected time per interview is a maximum of 1 hour.
Frequency of Response:
<bullet> 1 time for non-applicants and applicant non-awardees (only
surveyed in the Application Survey);
<bullet> 3-6 times for awardees (surveyed in the Application
Survey, Scoping and Design Survey, and Post-Construction Survey; subset
also interviewed in depth regarding Application, Scoping and Design,
and Post-Construction).

[[Page 80742]]

Average Hours per Response: 0.5 hours/application survey, 0.75
hours/scoping and design survey, 0.75 hours/post-construction survey,
and 1 hour/interview.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: The total estimated cost for the
proposed data collection is $108,082.
The Table below provides the estimated burden hours for the planned
surveys and interviews. These estimates assume the maximum targeted
number of study participants and are calculated as the time needed to
complete individual surveys and interviews. To estimate the hourly cost
per respondent, HUD used the average hourly compensation (wages and
benefits) of private workers who are in management, business, and
financial occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics' Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Survey from June
2023 (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf</a>).

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Burden hour Annual Hourly cost
Information collection Number of Frequency Responses per burden per Annual cost
respondents of response per annum response hours response
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Outreach Materials to Sample................................. 900 1 1 0.1 90 $80.96 $7,286
GRRP Application Survey...................................... 900 1 1 0.5 450 80.96 36,432
GRRP Scoping and Design Survey............................... 450 1 1 0.75 337.5 80.96 27,324
GRRP Post-Construction Survey................................ 450 1 1 0.75 337.5 80.96 27,324
GRRP Application Interview................................... 40 1 1 1.0 40 80.96 3,238
GRRP Scoping and Design Interview............................ 40 1 1 1.0 40 80.96 3,238
GRRP Post-Construction Interview............................. 40 1 1 1.0 40 80.96 3,238
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Total.................................................... ........... ........... ........... ........... 1335 ........... 108,082
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Respondent's Obligation: Participation is voluntary.

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in
Section A on the following:
(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected, and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
HUD encourages interested parties to submit comments in response to
these questions.

C. Authority

Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
3507.

Todd M. Richardson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2023-25509 Filed 11-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P

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